The Last Stand
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: She wishes it could be her instead. They all do. In this moment, all of them wish they could trade places with Weiss. (vol5 ep11 done better). Cover art by onefourthdork!


**I wasn't too happy with the way episode 11 went at all, and not just because my fav got stabbed. I wish that was why I was upset, but there's too much else poorly-written about it for my taste. So I'm indulging myself.**

 **Redid just about everything and proceeded to continue on past the ending of ep11, which at the time this story is being posted is the last thing we've seen from canon. I know my story won't be close to accurate, but I'm sharing it now before canon slaps me in the face with how horribly wrong I am.**

 **But I don't care. So enjoy!**

 **The AMAZING cover art for this fic was done by onefourthdork,tumblr,com. I'm so honored they drew for it! It's such an awesome image!**

 **It's gonna jump between perspectives for a while but I want to cover everyone's feelings in this as best I can. A single signify perspective changes, while a full line indicates an entire scene change.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

The Last Stand

 _last stand - a military situation in which a body of troops_ _holds a defensive position_

 _in_ _the face of overwhelming odds_

. . .

As is true for any war, the battle starts without warning.

One moment the room is silent, tense, full of enemies and allies alike.

And the next all hell's broken loose.

After Jaune charges Cinder there's no stopping the rest of them from advancing and choosing their opponents.

Yang isn't surprised about hers. It's just like him to put himself in front of her, to taunt her further after what he'd done, to rub the salt deeper into the wounds.

Little does he know it isn't going to work. Not this time.

She cracks her knuckles with a satisfying sound and charges head-on, swinging punches left and right, strategically aiming, blocking, dodging. She tries to keep an eye on whoever else she can, just to make sure no one is being unfairly outmatched.

And she especially looks for Ruby and Weiss.

Her little sister had just been ambushed with a cheap shot of fire thanks to Yang's own mother after all, and Weiss hadn't exactly had a lot of time to recuperate after having her air ship crash and then being kidnapped by Raven.

That's why Yang wants to tear through Mercury quickly. She wants to face her mother.

But for now she's got to handle the small fry.

"This'll be a good warm-up."

With that she smashes her fists together as her hair lights up aflame.

.

At the same time, Ruby takes on Emerald, someone she'd once thought to be her friend, a classmate, a fellow student. She still has to wonder what could've been possible if things had worked out differently.

But she can't afford to think like that anymore. Emerald had made her choice long ago, and Ruby knows it's far too late to try and sway her now.

She darts forward and swings Crescent Rose, shouting out a battle cry as she dodges and deflects the bullets aimed at her. If she can avoid it she doesn't want to hurt Emerald. Some naive part of her still believes there could be hope for someday...

She just wants to get to Cinder. And she's willing to do whatever it takes.

.

Weiss keeps an eye on both of them for a second, but she doesn't advance so much as a step before Raven's lieutenant blocks her path; the woman who'd been told not to use her powers on Weiss because she "wasn't worth it."

Weiss narrows her eyes and raises her rapier, already forming a glyph beneath herself. She jumps, soars across the room with all the grace and elegance she's ever harbored, expert precision and skill manifesting now when it matters most.

They exchange blows and words alike, a relentless array of metal and dust slicing the space between them.

Weiss knows she can't kill a Maiden even if she wanted to, and she doesn't. She just wants Vernal to get out of her way so she can help her friends, her teammates.

She'll do anything to see them through this unharmed.

Which is why she isn't willing to waste a second longer than necessary with this one-on-one fight.

She makes quick work of assessing Vernal's fighting skills with a few experimental attacks, then leaps back to distance herself. Swiftly, she casts a wall of ice to buy herself some time. One summon is all it should take...

Weiss forms a glyph and readies Myrtenaster, then pierces it into the center of the circle, crouching low as she concentrates.

The Armor reveals itself one hand at a time, dragging itself up into view, a manifestation of her own desperation to end this quickly-

She was careless.

In her haste she'd failed to be efficient, and in just a few seconds flat a blast of malicious energy shoots through the ice and shatters the Armor.

Even before she can look up to see what had happened the blade is already coming at her too quickly. It collides with her head-on, her aura barely able to prevent blood-flow as she's sent flying backward from the impact, landing harshly. She staggers to push herself back up, only to see her opponent smugly climbing over the broken wall of ice.

"Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out."

Weiss grunts and regains her balance. She lets her determination fuel her, but she makes sure to stop it at that. She hasn't forgotten what Winter had told her about letting her emotions control her. Especially harmful ones like anger or frustration. Maintaining a clear presence of mind is key, now more than ever.

At least now she knows exactly what kind of effort she needs to be putting into this.

Only sparing time for a single breath, she casts another glyph beneath herself and leaps back into the fray.

.

Yang is getting more and more heated by the second, welcoming all of Mercury's kicks and punches to help further her own semblance and strength.

She doesn't have time to let herself relive the memories of what had happened the last time they'd fought. She just keeps throwing her own punches and kicks and doesn't give herself a second for doubt.

Every blow that hits her feels more and more distant as her strength builds gradually, and her own hits become a bit tougher in the process. She's going to finish this quickly.

After a well-timed grab of Mercury's leg she manages to toss him aside, buying herself a few seconds in the process.

She surveys the room, but only catches a glimpse of Ruby still scuffling with Emerald. Jaune is also nearby, but more importantly Cinder is nearby.

And it's only for a second, but Yang notices.

Notices the way Cinder turns her head and steals a hungry glance at her little sister.

Notices the cold fire burning in the only eye she has left.

Notices the desire for _revenge_ burning there...

But before Yang can so much as call out a warning, there's a kick to her shoulder. Snarling, she rounds on Mercury and swings at his face, but misses.

"Now, now, Blondie. Eyes on me."

"Shut it, you bastard!"

.

Her shout echoes far enough for Ruby to hear, but she can't take her eyes off of Emerald right now.

Both of them move with equal speed, but that's part of Ruby's plan. To match Emerald's speed - to make her think _she's_ matching Ruby's. Then Ruby will increase her speed bit by bit, until Emerald is pushing herself to the point of exhaustion before she eventually can't keep fighting.

It's going to take time, but it's the best solution Ruby can think of. To just wear her down. She doesn't _want_ to hurt her...

"Hyaa!" Emerald throws her blades forward and Ruby leaps high to avoid them, using her scythe to arc her weight and position herself behind Emerald. She swings at her ankles but is easily dodged, and within seconds Emerald is armed once again.

Ruby finds the second to speak, hoping to sway her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Shut up and fight me, Red!"

So Ruby is forced to fight her like Emerald wants. And she hates to consider it, but she _will_ draw blood if push comes to shove.

As she engages Emerald once again, a flash of white shoots by in the corner of her vision.

.

Weiss forms a mirage of glyphs in her surrounding area, hoping to distort Vernal's senses. She uses them to jump out of the path of the bullets and fire some of her own. Her boots barely touch the ground for longer than a few seconds at a time, but that's part of her plan as well.

The instant she can manage, Weiss sets a repulsion glyph beneath Vernal's feet and sends her back. Immediately the heiress drops to the ground and kneels in her summoning stance once again, casting another glyph as she steadies Myrtenaster with a firm grip-

And then a collision of metal on metal.

She looks up to find Vernal just inches in front of her, crouched low with a triumphant smirk on her lips.

No mercy.

She pulls the trigger.

And Weiss is pinned in place, helpless as the weapon fires multiple shots at once. Electricity bolts into her, shooting surges of burning lightning through her stomach and chest. Her heart jolts, seizes, and stops momentarily as the pain tears through her, ripping her veins from the inside out.

A scream cuts from her throat - sheer agony.

The sound fills the room, and then fades away in a dying echo.

.

Yang stops dead in her tracks and turns around.

Her breath hitches as she watches Weiss fall sideways.

From behind her, Mercury has stopped to look as well. He whistles.

"Damn. Wouldn't wanna be her right now. I should've known the Schnee heiress would be a total pushover."

The sparks of rage and terror ignite all over again as Yang rounds on him with a shriek.

.

But Ruby doesn't hear that.

She can only hear Weiss' scream - over and over - echoing in the back of her mind.

She skids to a halt and whirls around to look for her-

-and wishes she hadn't.

She watches her partner collapse, Myrtenaster falling limply from her grip. Ruby's pulse catches in her throat as a crushing dread grips her entire body.

"W-Weiss-"

And then the chains constrict her, hard enough to make her lose her grip on Crescent Rose. Emerald gives a yank and Ruby crashed to the ground, sputtering.

"You let your guard down, Red. You still care way too much about your dumb little friends. It'll be your undoing."

And she'd been so consumed by the sight of Weiss being hurt that she doesn't realize what's just happened right away. When it finally hits her, it's already too late.

Ruby tries to push herself back up, tries to break free and grab for her scythe, tries to get herself back into the fight, tries to move so she can help Weiss-

"Well done, Emerald."

Cinder's suave, chillingly calm voice sounds from above her. Ruby twists her face, tears already hot in her eyes and streaming down her face.

Cinder stalks toward her with threatening confidence, as if she's already won. Ruby can see Jaune unconscious on the floor behind her.

She growls and tries to struggle free once again as Cinder approaches. Terrified like a trapped animal, she swings her head back around to look for Weiss.

.

Vernal is standing over her smugly, dusting herself off with a casual wave of the hand.

Weiss gasps, fighting for breath as she pushes herself up. Her arms are shaking so violently they give out on her and she has to try again. Her fingers can barely find purchase around Myrtenaster's hilt, and there's a throbbing pain filling her whole body, pushing against her ribs until it feels like they're stabbing at her heart and lungs.

Everything's on fire.

She forces herself up, using her blade as a crutch. But one shot from Vernal is all it takes this time to send her falling back and skidding across the floor once again.

.

Ruby chokes as she's forced to watch.

"No..."

She can barely manage to get out the word past all the things clogging her throat.

This is all wrong. This isn't how things were supposed to happen-

"Dear me," Cinder drawls from nearby. "It would appear the little huntress is trapped like the rat she truly is. How distressing this must be for you. Watching your friends lose. Watching your own partner get hurt..."

"C-Cinder-"

"But you know? I can still think of something _even_ better. Consider it payback for what you did." She glides her fingers in front of her covered eye.

Then, with a slow wave of her hand, she activates her stolen Maiden's powers.

Ruby's shaking and sobbing, and the chains feel like thorns all around her.

"W-What-"

When she looks up, she sees the air around Cinder's raised hand shifting, until it takes the form of a long weapon.

A familiar weapon.

 _Pyrrha's_.

Images start flashing through her mind.

The top of Beacon's tower.

The Grimm attacking.

Cinder's arm pulling back on the string of the bow, then releasing-

"W-What are you-"

And the images start to replay themselves, overlapping.

Only this time it isn't just a nightmare.

It's right in front of her.

Pyrrha's image fades out of view.

But in her place now is Weiss.

Ruby's throat constricts as bile rises up. She tries to speak, tries to force out any sound that will come, but nothing happens.

She can only watch.

Watch Weiss as she pushes herself up again, tries to catch her breath so she can continue fighting.

Watch the wicked smile curling Cinder's lips.

Watch her arm as she pulls it back, takes aim-

-and releases.

" _NOOOOO!_ "

But by the time Ruby's voice bursts free it's already too late.

The spear cuts through the air across the room in one swift, deadly red line. And for a split second everything is dead silent.

And then it hits its target.

.

The sound of it impaling Weiss through the back resonates like a muffled gunshot. Flesh tearing, splitting.

Weiss doesn't even know what happened. A single gasp rips from her throat before her breath begins to falter.

The pain from earlier had just started to become bearable.

But now there's a new pain.

And it's worse. _So_ much worse.

Time has stopped. Her body is immobilized in a state of fear, shock, agony. It takes every shred of strength left in her body to lower her chin and look down.

The spear had cut right through her.

It's Pyrrha's.

The blade is a deep crimson, dripping, burning...

She can feel the weight of it settled within her body, lodged inside and through her, ripping her organs.

She can feel the blood pooling, spreading.

The pain is so excruciating it becomes mingled with a sense of numbness. It feels freezing and burning all at the same time.

She can't breathe.

Her hands tremble helplessly as she tries to make sense of it, tries to do something, anything-

But the pain wins. Just as she'd promised herself she'd never let happen.

This time it's just too much.

Pyrrha's blade disintegrates into nothing, but the damage has already been done.

Weiss' mind isn't even able to produce any final thoughts or images for her.

She doesn't get to remember her friends.

She's alone again.

It's just blank.

Dark.

Everything's dark...

.

Ruby watches.

She can't even blink.

The tears are streaming down, pooling on the floor, choking her.

She watches Weiss' final feeble attempt to breathe.

Watches her arms fall limply to her sides.

Watches her fall-

 _ **"NOOOOOOOOO!"**_

And this is a fury like none she's ever known before. It's something so foreign, so terrifying, but as she is now she embraces it, welcomes it, invites it to do its _worst_.

A powerful energy surges within her all in a split second, floods through her veins in a rush of pure adrenaline.

She's felt this before. Six months ago. The last time she'd seen Pyrrha...

All of it pools behind her eyes, festers, and the bursts forth-

.

A blinding white light flashes through the entire room.

Yang is still petrified at what she'd just seen, Weiss' small frame stabbed from behind by a weapon twice her height.

She still hasn't even comprehended whether or not that had been reality or one of Emerald's illusions before the white light blinds her.

It penetrates her vision, making her flinch. It fills her eyes as her little sister's scream fills her ears.

She doesn't know what's happening. She doesn't know what's real anymore...

The whole room turns white, and then all is still.

* * *

The shadows of Haven are alive tonight.

White Fang are crawling all over the place, setting up traps and bombs and ambushes.

Little do they know they're outnumbered.

Blake keeps herself low as she steals through the night, signaling to Sun and their army behind her. Every Faunus she'd taken with her from Menagerie is armed and ready to fight to the death if need be.

She'd already discussed things with Sun in advance; he, amongst a few other previously-appointed leaders, was to guide the army. Blake was going to find Adam.

And judging by the amount of White Fang members clinging to the side of the tower, she guesses he's nearby.

So she turns back to Sun and catches his eye, giving a brief nod. He swishes his tail.

"You sure about this?"

"Positive."

He inhales slowly, then lets it out.

"All right. On my mark." He surveys their army, and is met with determined eyes all around. Blake flicks an ear and waits for his command.

"Now!"

And the shadows come alive.

Their ambush takes the White Fang by surprise, some coming in from below and others from above. In a matter of seconds everything is chaos and gunfire.

Blake darts through it all like a ghost, firing a few shots only when necessary to clear a path for the doors. When she reaches them, she takes one last look back over her shoulder at all the people who had come here with her.

"Please be safe."

And with that she heaves the doors apart.

* * *

Ruby can't feel anything.

She can't hear or see or smell anything.

Everything is just nothing for a long, long moment.

Everything is just... white.

White...

It takes her a moment to realize her eyes are open now. The shapes and figures of the room slowly fade back into view, only now they're all different.

Everything is coated in a silver glow.

And nothing and no one is moving.

She doesn't have time to think about it, doesn't have time to question it or care about answers.

All she knows is that her enemies are immobilized-

-and her partner is _dying_.

Whatever this is - whatever power or energy or essence this is - it's connected to her will. The chains around her easily shatter as she scrambles to her feet.

That must be why everyone but Yang is unmoving.

Ruby staggers for a split second as her eyes meet those of her big sister. The fire in Yang's gaze is melting back into lavender, the flames in her hair gradually turning back into golden locks.

But neither of them ask.

They just run.

Straight to Weiss where she'd fallen.

"Weiss-!"

"Weiss!"

They drop to their knees, bodies shaking, hearts pounding.

Yang's felt this kind of fear before, six months ago, when she'd watched Blake get hurt in almost the same way-

It was the kind of fear she'd hoped she'd never have to experience ever again for as long as she lived.

This was the suffocating fear, the numbing fear, the fear that made her feel like she was going to throw up or pass out.

Ruby is on her hands and knees beside her, choking back tears that don't stop coming, not for a second.

There's blood all over. Whatever magic had frozen all else hadn't been able to stop the bleeding. Her voice tumbles out in a string of chopped sounds that make a single name.

"W-Weiss, W-W-Weiss! _Weiss_ -!"

She reaches out, but she's too scared to touch her. She barely makes contact with her partner's shoulders before Yang is scooping Weiss into her lap, turning her over so she's face-up. Ruby huddles close and quickly presses both hands onto the wound staining red through Weiss' side. She feels Yang's hands cover hers a second later.

"Y-Yang, wuh-what do we do, wh-what do we do? Sh-She's bleeding so much-"

"Rubes, y-you gotta... you gotta activate your aura. We've gotta share with her-"

Yang can barely get the words out herself. She can feel Weiss' limp weight in her arms, but her own arms are shaking so hard she can't discern a pulse from Weiss.

She can only take her own advice and activate her aura, immediately channeling it to her hands and onto Weiss. Ruby scrambles for her own aura and pools it into Weiss with all her might, imagining it stitching up the wound in a matter of seconds...

But it isn't that simple.

Weiss continues to bleed, even in spite of their combined auras. The wound is so deep, so awful, so threatening...

Ruby and Yang press hard over it, applying pressure as Weiss' blood seeps through their fingers.

It had all happened so quickly and without explanation, rhyme or reason. They still can't fathom what's going on, not with the silver light or with the fact that Weiss is dying in their arms.

But it's too terrifying to be a nightmare. Something as horrible as this can only be reality.

They both know this all too well.

Ruby wheezes past her sobs and continues channeling her aura onto Weiss. She's still shaking so hard and her mind is so jumbled it's nearly impossible to focus on her task.

But she doesn't miss it when a small movement flutters.

With a gasp she looks up as Weiss' eyes struggle open. The blue behind them is dull and faded. Her quivering lips are parted as thin little breaths try to make their way in and out with little success.

Ruby all but shrieks.

"Weiss-!"

Her cry draws Yang's attention as well. She almost can't believe that Weiss is still conscious, even if it's only barely. That just means she's able to feel all of this terrible pain. But at least she's _alive_.

"Weiss? Weiss-?" Yang tries to adjust her hold on the heiress, tries to support Weiss' head with the crook of her elbow. "Hey, h-hey, Weiss? Weiss...? Can you hear me?"

"Hold on, j-just hold on!" Ruby pleads. "J-Just hold on, okay Weiss? Y-You're guh-gonna be okay, y-you're gonna-"

"Ruby-" Yang cuts her off with a solemn-sounding voice. A voice that's suddenly steady somehow in spite of what's happening.

Ruby doesn't like it.

She tears her eyes away from Weiss and looks up at her sister instead. Tears are spilling down Yang's cheeks. She shakes her head.

"It isn't enough..." she rasps. "She's losing too much blood..."

"No..." Ruby swallows hard, but it comes back up in a cough. "N-No Yang, wh-what are you saying? Don't _say_ that-!" Defiantly, she folds both of her hands harder over Weiss' wound and pushes more of her aura out. She can feel Yang's still supporting hers, but she can't feel Weiss' at all.

What she _can_ feel is Weiss' stomach heaving beneath the pressure of her palms. She can't breathe properly with them pushing down on her like this, but if they lighten the pressure she'll only bleed out faster. It's agonizing on all accounts.

Weiss' eyelids fall shut once more, her brow creasing in pain. Ruby chokes again.

"W-Weiss... Weiss, I-I'm sorry... w-we're gonna fix you, okay? We-We're gonna..." Her tears fall down and seep into her partner's dress, mixing with the blood. Distraught, Ruby lifts her face and searches Yang's. "We're... we're gonna save her... w-we have to..."

Yang only bows her head. She continues to give Weiss her aura, continues to cry, but she says nothing.

Ruby's hiccuping sobs continue filling the room as they both give their all to save their teammate.

But Ruby's unknown powers have already given her one miracle, and she doesn't think she's allowed or able to ask for a second.

* * *

Blake pushes her weight against the doors until they creak open. Her ears swivel as the sound echoes all around her, and she can instantly tell that inside the building is quiet compared to the fighting going on outside.

She slips through, giving a kick to the door behind herself as she does so, and takes in her surroundings.

Judging by how calm and quiet it is, she expected the building to be empty, or at the very least have only one person inside.

But...

"What... is this...?"

There's a dozen people inside. People she _knows_.

Jaune, Nora, Ren, Ruby and Yang's uncle...

Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Yang's mother-

They'd clearly been engaged in a massive battle.

But...

But they aren't anymore.

They're just... frozen.

No one is moving, and it doesn't take much for Blake to realize it isn't a natural state of stillness.

No. This is something else. Something sparked by something even greater than semblance or illusions.

 _What the hell... is going on here...? Why are they here? Were they ambushed-?_

She lifts her gaze, letting it travel around the ceiling's perimeter. But as far as she can tell there's no one there waiting to attack.

She surveys the room once again, trying to figure out what could have caused this.

Cautiously she steals forward.

And that's when her ears catch the sounds of crying.

Past the pounding of her heart and her footsteps, Blake can discern the fragile hiccuping breaths.

And her heart almost stops.

Because she feels like she _knows_ those sobs.

Like she's heard them before...

As she passed by one of the massive pillars, Blake peers around to the other side-

-and this time her heart really does stop.

"Wh... What..."

Maybe seeing Qrow and Jaune's team here already should have lessened the shock.

But seeing _them_ again after all this time.

Like _this_...

Ruby and Yang.

They're huddled together, sobbing uncontrollably.

The flood of emotions that slams over Blake in this moment are almost powerful enough to bring her to her knees.

But all thoughts of regret and apologies, of all the things she'd been waiting six agonizing months to say to them both...

It all dies in her throat when she sees the girl lying motionless on the floor.

"W... Weiss...?"

Her name falls from Blake's lips like a teardrop, small and thin.

And before she knows it she's already running.

Right to them.

In spite of the fear that's been consuming her all this time in thinking they might reject her.

In spite of all the guilt that's been trying to eat her from the inside out because of what she'd done.

In spite of the confusion, the regret.

In spite of everything.

None of it matters anymore.

All of that... years' worth of emotions building and piling up...

It's all worth nothing in the face of Weiss dying in her teammates' arms.

So Blake runs, the sounds of her heels drawing Ruby's and Yang's attention. She sees them tense, probably expecting an enemy, and she can only pray they won't think of her as such when they see it's her.

They lift their heads, and the shock in their eyes is almost thick enough to stop the tears flowing down, just for a second. Eyes wide, lips trembling, breath taut, they stare up at her like they're seeing a ghost.

And Blake skids to a halt, her legs already threatening to give, tears already spilling down as a culmination of _so_ many things.

Both sisters try to comprehend this, but nothing is really making sense anymore.

Ruby can't even say her name.

"B..."

" _Blake_...?" Yang finishes for her, jaw slack in confusion, fear, disbelief.

And Blake flinches at the sound of her own name on Yang's lips.

Because there's _so_ much she'd done wrong – everything.

Because there's _so_ much she needs to say and to do-

But none of it matters.

Her eyes drop down to Weiss in her partner's arms. She's limp, broken, and bleeding badly.

The shock between them settles in as an all-consuming numbness. Blake falls to her knees beside them, hands reaching out for Weiss, for Ruby's and Yang's hands on top of the wound. She's shaking and crying – they all are.

"Wh-What..." Blake forces the words out, forces herself to forget everything else other than Weiss in this moment. "Wh-What-"

"Y-Your aura-" Ruby rasps, pleading. There's a million things she wants to say too, but her mind can only focus on Weiss right now.

Yang's the same. She tries not to look at Blake, not because she's rejecting her but because she doesn't know what kind of expression to show her.

Not now. Not when things are like _this_.

It took something like this... something as awful as Weiss being on the verge of death, to bring them back together.

It shouldn't have gotten this bad. It shouldn't have happened this way.

But it did, and it still is.

It's still _happening_.

Blake places one of her hands on top of Ruby's and the other on top of Yang's, noticing right away it isn't flesh but metal. They're both shuddering as badly as she is, letting their aura flow into Weiss. There's so much blood-

A painful cough draws all of their attention to Weiss. Blake hadn't even known she was conscious until now, and a spark of hope flickers in her chest.

But it quickly dwindles when she notices the blood now dripping down the corner of Weiss' mouth. Her breathing is so shallow it's barely even there at all, and her eyes can hardly stay open for longer than a second.

Even so, Blake sees the shock in them.

To Weiss, it's like looking up at an illusion. She can't be certain of anything anymore. The only thing she knows is real is the pain.

But still, the name wants to be said. It travels up her throat in another cough, one that shakes her so badly Yang has to hold her still. Weiss hears Ruby yelp, feels the hands on her side pressing down more ardently.

"B... Bla..."

She can't be sure if it's real.

But she truly hopes it is...

The others watch in horror as Weiss' eyelids fall shut. Her head rolls lifelessly to one side, her hair swaying to a stop behind her shoulder. She doesn't move again.

"Weiss-" All three of them cry out for her, pooling their auras together.

Ruby can feel Blake's and Yang's hands over hers, their fingers squeezing the backs of her bloodied knuckles. Beneath her palms, the faint heartbeat that had been thrumming in Weiss' side until now begins to slow. Ruby shrieks.

"No, no-! _Weiss_ -!"

"Shit-" Yang swallows thickly as she feels Weiss' pulse stagger.

Blake feels it too. It's even more terrifying watching it happen to someone she loves.

She wishes it could be her again.

They all do.

In this moment, all of them wish they could trade places with Weiss.

And they also know for a fact that Weiss would never allow it.

She's always been the one to take the fall, to take the blow. She's always been more than willing to make sacrifices for them.

That's how dearly she loves them.

They wished they could somehow love Weiss Schnee _half_ as much as she loved them.

Her name falls from their mouths, broken prayers – pleas.

To the gods. To the universe. To anything or anyone that can save her.

Because they don't think the three of them are good enough.

The dread, the agony, the terror... it seeps into their veins, into every inch of their bodies until they're sinking, weighed down, drowning...

It isn't supposed to end like this.

It _can't_...

"Weiss..."

"No..."

"Please..."

They beg, plead. Beseech the fates, the spirits, time itself.

 _Anything_.

Ruby can't bear it anymore. She'd watched it happen and was helpless to do anything to prevent it. And now her best friend, her partner...

She screams out a wail of agony and slumps down over Weiss.

Yang grits her teeth and spits out another curse.

Blake trembles, scared to look up at any of their faces.

Just the blood.

The _blood_...

With a gasp, Blake finds her voice.

"It... It stopped... th-the bleeding stopped-"

"Keep going-" Yang grunts. "Keep giving her your aura."

Even Ruby hears and is able to keep going.

Now she can feel it. Feel the combined energy of their auras.

It's taken time, perhaps time Weiss didn't have anymore, but the wound is closing now. Little by little.

So they don't stop.

Not until they can feel the last inch of Weiss' shredded skin stitching itself back together.

Their auras naturally stop flowing when there is nothing left to heal.

All three of them freeze, suspended in terrified silence, laden only with the whimpers of suppressed sobs. Yang keeps Weiss steady in her arms, still unmoving. Ruby reaches out to touch her partner's bloodied hand.

"Is... Is she...?"

She can't finish.

Either way, Blake is already leaning over the heiress, pressing an ear to Weiss' chest to concentrate. It's difficult to listen past her own sobs, and then try to discern Ruby's and Yang's so she can listen for something from Weiss. Anything.

 _Please..._

It's a prayer they all share.

"Oh-" Ruby whimpers. "Oh, please... _please_ let her be okay..."

"C'mon, Princess," Yang murmurs softly. "You can make it. I _know_ you can..."

Yang cradles Weiss' head. Ruby holds one of her hands, and Blake holds the other.

A long beat of silence follows.

Blake listens for something to fill it.

...And it's _so_ faint.

Almost nothing.

A tiny, struggling pulse floundering in Weiss' chest, uneven and unsteady.

But it's there.

There's a feeble tumble of air through her collar, so thin it can't be doing her lungs much good.

But it's _there_.

Blake's eyes fly open as she pulls back, ears standing tall as she looks to both sisters.

"She's alive-!"

Ruby gasps and covers her mouth with her free hand as more tears pour down. Yang lets out a sharp breath and chokes out another sob.

"Oh, thank god..." She ducks her face into her shoulder and tries to get ahold of herself. Ruby slumps over her partner once again, crying into Weiss' collar.

It takes Blake a moment to realize it's over. That they've done all they can do. That it's up to fate from here on out.

But now this leaves her with everything else.

Looking at Yang and Ruby now, she's filled with the urge to run, even though she knows her legs won't work.

So all she can do is just say what she's been waiting six painful months to say.

"I... I-I'm _so_ _sorry_ -"

An arm curls around her shoulders and pulls her in, and warmth surrounds her.

Yang accepts her back. Without hesitation.

She doesn't say anything, but she feels she doesn't need to.

It's beyond the point of apology and sorrow and regret. They're all here together now, and they've been through hell and back in a matter of minutes. Everything else is forgiven and forgotten.

Somehow Blake understands. She squeezes Weiss' hand with one of hers and raises the other to Yang's back, clutching her shirt as a wail finally breaks free. All the pain she's suffered these past six months comes down in rivulets over her cheeks.

They cry.

For all the times they couldn't in the past.

For all the guilt and sorrow they've caused and suffered.

For the fear of losing one another.

And for the relief of finding each other again.

Ruby manages to lift herself up off Weiss' shoulder and reach out for Blake, clinging to her back to convey whatever the action might stand for. Their tears fall, mixing with the blood.

Blake and Yang hide their faces in each other's shoulders, curling protectively over Weiss in the process. Ruby covers her partner with her own body, lightly, but surely enough to keep anything else at bay.

Somewhere along the lines, words start forming again.

"I left you-"

"I ran away-"

"I'm so sorry-"

And that's really all it takes.

After months and months of being apart, of planning out what they'd say if or when they ever saw each other again, this is all it takes.

They don't want to regret anymore. They don't want to let past mistakes drown them.

They just want to start over, from here and now.

It's a mutual understanding.

But there's still so much they don't understand.

Ruby Blake and Yang all start asking at the same time.

"How did you get here-?"

"What happened-?"

"Where have you been-?"

For the sisters' part, neither of them had heard from or about Blake since they'd separated. They'd never expected to see her here.

And for Blake, she has no idea how the others all came to be together, how Weiss had been injured like this, how everyone else in the room was somehow frozen in time...

Yang and Ruby didn't fully understand that last one either.

But the glow still rimming Ruby's eyes explains enough.

She can't really place it, but she can feel something surrounding her, like an air of lightness. She knows it's connected to the spell cast on the room to immobilize everyone else. Somehow it adhered to her will and stilled everyone she wasn't closest to, everyone she wasn't thinking about in the moment it had activated.

There are still a million questions that need answering.

But before any of them can even begin to wonder, a small, meek sound stutters from their laps.

They pull back, wiping tears and covering mouths as Weiss' brow furrows. Her chest heaves, and another cough comes up, but there's no blood with it this time. When her eyes flutter open, her teammates cry out.

"Weiss!"

"Weiss-"

"Thank god-"

They all reach out to steady her shoulders and sides, ensuring she won't move in a way that might reopen the wound.

There's still a terrible ache throbbing in her side, and she doesn't need to look down to envision the gruesome scene that's there. She can smell the blood clearly enough to make herself nauseous, but unlike before it's somewhat easier to breathe now.

She focuses on that first, or at least tries to.

But before she's even gotten her breath back, her eyes are already traveling to Blake, and her voice is scratching its way up her throat.

"B-Blake..." She tries to move her hand, but it doesn't work. So she just stares in disbelief with the tears dribbling down. "It... wasn't just a dream..."

"No," Blake tries her best to smile and wipes her eyes. "It wasn't. I... I'm here... I..." She doesn't know what more to say, what more she _can_ or _should_ say.

All that matters now is that Weiss is awake, alive. That they're all together again after so long.

Blake gently rests her hand over Weiss' again, threading their fingers and giving a squeeze.

The tears start all over again, for all of them, but they're only for relief now.

Ruby slips one arm beneath Weiss and the other around Blake. When her eyes travel down to her partner's side, she looks past the rip in her dress to see the bloody wound is nothing but a scar now.

Even so, they can all tell when Weiss tries to push herself up, and they carefully stop her.

"H-Hey-!"

"Careful-!"

"Easy there, Princess."

The three of them work together to slowly help Weiss sit up, though almost all of her weight is resting against Yang's arm.

The heiress flinches, but to her astonishment the pain is ebbing away by the second. Her body still feels heavy and more than a little numb, but the pain is leaving her as her other senses gradually start coming back in full.

And somehow she's smiling.

They all are.

Despite the months of solitude and loneliness, uncertainty and pain, fear and guilt, they can finally smile now.

Because this is all they've ever wanted. To be safely together again.

Ruby breaks down first and throws her arms around Yang and Blake, which allows her body to press close to Weiss'. Blake dips down to pull Weiss in to her and curls her other arm around Yang's back. Yang leans over to wrap an arm around her partner and her little sister, resting her head against Weiss'. Weiss holds onto whichever hands find their way into hers, brushing her tearstained cheeks against all of theirs in turn.

And somehow they can laugh. Just in this moment. Before reality comes back to them.

They know they'll have to savor it while they can.

As leader, Ruby makes a heartfelt declaration.

"Team RWBY is back together~!"

"And we got some ass to kick," Yang adds. "I'm not going easy on these bastards anymore."

"Count me in," Blake utters. "Adam can wait."

"I'm in as well," Weiss states.

But all the others quickly deny her.

"What?!"

"No way!"

"Weiss, are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" she quips. "I'm perfectly fine now."

"Perfectly fine?" Yang scoffs. "Weiss, you just- you were-"

"Uhh, guys?" Ruby interjects timidly as she feels something begin to change. Whatever power had been manifesting itself before is now draining away. As the otherworldly light brimming around her eyes starts to dwindle, the other people in the room begin to move once again.

"Crap..."

Yang's comment is felt by all of them as they all help one another to their feet. They keep Weiss between them, steadying her as best they can, but surprisingly she has a decent amount of balance left.

"I can still fight," she assures them. "It seems you're going to need me."

"You're damn right we are," Yang grunts.

"But you gotta stay with me!" Ruby orders her partner. "And Blake, stay with Yang."

"Got it."

The four of them ready themselves and draw their weapons. Weiss casts a test glyph under Crescent Rose across the room and pulls it over, straight back into Ruby's waiting hands.

They stand in line - side by side - as their enemies return to their senses.

Their leader gives the command, and team RWBY charges forward.

Their fight isn't over yet.

It's only just begun.

* * *

 **A/N: So I basically did what I feel canon should've done; had Cinder hurt Weiss to get a reaction from Ruby, not Jaune. And then just self-indulged with a Team RWBY-exclusive scenario. Aura sharing has always been a headcanon of mine, and it's never worked so perfectly as it would here.**

 **Ruby's powers basically froze everyone she wasn't thinking about at the time (within a fixed perimeter). She doesn't know how to activate or control it, hence why she doesn't just do it again so they can take all their enemies out easily. I wanted this to focus on Weiss, not the big fight.**

 **And their reunion with Blake. I felt this could actually work. They all had been planning what they might say or do for so long, but it all goes out the window the second Weiss gets hurt. Suddenly nothing else matters. Every stupid little thing any of them had said or done is forgiven. They can have proper conversations later** **if need be.**

 **Weiss' injury is healed because of her teammates' combined auras and also a bit of magic from Ruby's power. That's why she's still able to stand and fight, though she'll obviously have to be very careful for the remainder of whatever comes next, hence why Ruby ordered her to stay with her no matter what.**

 **So yeah, this is all I'm writing for this. It's up in the air for whatever episode 12 will do from here, but my story is over. I just wanted to have Cinder attack Weiss to get her revenge on Ruby, and for Blake to come in and help when they need her most.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Please review!**


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